"..Bradlee being the editor had to be part of the equation"
Yes, he had to be, never would he risk his position by going out on such a precarious limb based on what 2 lower echelon reporters, especially Woodward since he was relatively new and unproven.
And yet we are expected to believe that Ben Bradlee didn't know that Felt was the number 2 man at the FBI and thought he deserved Hoover's job.
In Washington, D.C., a town that thrives on gossip and insider knowledge.